Night of the Party
by RedSavant
Summary: When Setsuna gets the jitters on her birthday, Eva has to give her a pep talk. KonoSetsu oneshot/twoshot inspired by Neo Horizon's -Perfect Night-.
1. Chapter 1: The Dress

**A/N: SPOILERS past the end of the Mahora Budokai arc.**

**Another short one, KonoSetsu with a light sprinkling of EvaNagi. I'm not terribly proud of it, but hey. Here it is. Please R&R.**

Now that she saw it on her, the dress didn't really suit her. But Konoka-ojō-sama had chosen it for her, and she had no intention of upsetting her charge.

Sakurazaki Setsuna tugged somewhat morosely at the strap over her right shoulder. Used to the weight of her sword as she was, the lightness of the Western-style yellow silk dress was alien to her. Konoka had insisted that she leave the long sword in her room, though Setsuna felt reasonably comfortable here in the World Tree Plaza. The magic barrier would keep most threats out of the school grounds, and if worse came to worst there was always _Sica Shishikushiro_.

Setsuna flushed as she recalled the enthusiasm with which Konoka had organized a birthday party for her. So much fuss. All her life she'd tried to stay out of ojō-sama's way, to protect her from the shadows, and here she was, drawing attention to herself yet again. She sighed. Perhaps it would be better to… She turned on her heel, starting back to the dormitories.

"Oho, sneaking away, are we?" Startled, Setsuna turned in time to see Evangeline clamber over a nearby fence. The shinsō girl half-fell as she overbalanced, but managed somehow to land with her usual dignity. "It's the new moon. I'm nothing more than a ten-year-old right now," she growled by way of explanation. "Chachamaru had to boost me over. But that's beside the point. Where are you getting off to?"

"That's not your business, Evangeline-san," Setsuna replied stiffly.

"Yes it is," she replied smoothly. "You defeated me. That means that _I_ lose face if _you _get all wobbly."

'Doing my duty is not 'getting wobbly'. Konoka-ojō-sama's safety is the one thing that's most important to me. If I have to forgo my own happiness to ensure that, I-"

"What happened to holding a sword in one hand and your happiness in the other?" Evangeline scoffed. Setsuna turned away.

"I've had some time to think about it. If the time comes that I have to sacrifice myself, I… don't want ojō-sama to be unhappy when that time comes."

"Well, it's way too late for _that_," Evangeline replied, perching on the end of a nearby bench. "Konoka adores you. If you died, especially while saving her, she'd be absolutely crushed."

"But… I can't be involved with ojō-sama. Feelings like mine aren't natural," Setsuna whispered.

"You're a hanyō, and you're talking to an immortal ten-year-old girl who drinks blood to fuel her magic," Eva noted, eyes narrowing as she smiled pointedly. "More than a few people would argue that you and I are unnatural too. And yet here we are."

"That's not the same. Some things just aren't _right_." Setsuna sat down on the bench, dark eyes downcast.

"Let me tell you a story, Sakurazaki," Evangeline said, crossing her arms. "Once upon a time, there was a ridiculously powerful witch. She traveled all over the world, beating every single piddling little mage that came up against her into sniveling pulp. To make a long story short, she was bored. Then she began to hear stories about a ridiculously powerful mage, and she sought him out, eager to fight him. It took years, but when she finally caught up to him-"

"He cursed you and trapped you on the Mahora campus for eternity," Setsuna replied.

Evangeline flushed. "My point, Sakurazaki, is that you can't let common sense get in the way of… love," she muttered, staring at the cobblestones.

"I've already told you, Evangeline-san. I can't l- love ojō-sama. I-"

There was a sudden jerk, and Setsuna found herself at Evangeline's eye level. The vampire's hands were clamped firmly but not painfully on her shoulders. Even without instant movement, she was incredibly fast.

"Listen to me, Sakurazaki Setsuna," Evangeline said, voice low and ice-cold. "You are going to keep that dress on. You are going to leave this plaza, turn right, and walk to classroom 3-A. And then you are going to enjoy yourself with Konoe Konoka. Am I clear?"

Momentarily speechless, Setsuna nodded. Eva released her shoulders and stepped back. "Good. Go have fun."

As Setsuna disappeared around the corner, the vampire shook her head. "Kids," she muttered, smiling fondly, eyes half-closed.

"Chachamaru!" she called. There was a sound of jets, and the gynoid hovered over a nearby hedge to settle in front of her master. "Yes, Master?"

"I've got an order for you," Evangeline said, hopping back up on the bench.

"Yes, Master. What would you have me do?"

"Go home and bring me that black lace dress I bought in London. And get yours on too."

"Of course. But... why do you wish me to put on my dress as well?"

"Simple, Chachamaru. We're going to that party, too… and I'll be damned if we aren't going in style."


	2. Chapter 2: One Moment

**A/N: Well, it's more of a two-shot now. You can thank (or flame) BakaBakaEater for this -- but I think we'd both be happier if you liked it, eh?**

**Night of the Party - 2**

Setsuna's footsteps, quiet on the cobblestones, seemed to echo as she walked. _Happiness in one hand, a sword in the other_. _If you died, she'd be crushed._

_You can't let common sense get in the way of love. _Setsuna let out a sigh as the clock tower built over Mahora Middle School's central building came into view. If what she felt was real, _if_ she could bring herself to think that it might actually be… love… then maybe there was some way she could tell ojō–

"Se-chan!" Konoka's voice was immediately recognizable, highly excited, and anathema to Setsuna's current line of thought. The swordswoman stopped dead as Konoka and Negi appeared at the top of the stairs to the cobblestone plaza in front of the school, Konoka waving madly. "O-ojō-sama, Negi-sensei," she sputtered, feeling her face heat up. "What are you doing out here?"

"We came to fetch you, Se-chan!" Konoka called, rushing down the stairs to meet her friend. "Everyone's waiting for you. I had to stop Kotaro-kun from eating more than one cupcake, though," she continued, frowning slightly. "They're probably all gone now. I shouldn't have let Chao-san put them out until you got here."

"It's really okay, ojō-sama," Setsuna reassured her hastily. "I'm not a big fan of sweets."

"Yes, you are," Konoka admonished her bodyguard. "It's your birthday. You have to eat at least one piece of cake."

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Setsuna-san," Negi put in as he reached the bottom of the stairs himself. "I was worried that something might have gotten through the school barrier again." Setsuna belatedly noted that the boy mage carried his staff; the wrapped stave rested on his shoulder, and his face was dark. The encounter with Graf Hermann had changed him, made him more wary.

"I'll head back inside and tell everyone that you're coming. Please don't stay out too long… I'm not sure how long I can keep Iinchō-san off by myself," he continued, turning back to the building.

"We'll be right in, Negi-sensei," called Konoka from her position next to Setsuna's ear. Used to this occurrence, the swordswoman did not flinch. Instead, she smiled to herself, pleased that Konoka was having so much fun. "Ojō-sama, thank you for going to all this trouble just for me. I haven't had a real birthday since –" she broke off, eyes widening, wishing she could take the words back. But Konoka's face was already brightening with her own memories.

"My fourth birthday," she cried. "That was the time we had the cake fight, wasn't it? We got cake all over each other, and then Dad made us both take a bath." She paused for a moment, a finger to her mouth as she thought. "We really should do that again."

Setsuna clamped her lips together. She climbed the stairs rapidly, crossing the cobblestones to the main building in record time. Konoka caught up in a few seconds, frowning prettily. "Why'd you run off, Se-chan?" she asked. Setsuna had taken the interim to make sure she could trust her mouth again, and answered "I wanted to get the door for you, ojō-sama."

"We were still a long way away," grumbled Konoka prettily, putting on a fake-hurt air. Once inside the foyer, the young healer gasped as something caught her eye. She hurried across the marble tiles to stand in a shaft of moonlight filtering through the huge window on the stairway landing. "How do I look, Se-chan?" she asked, lifting the sides of her velvet-blue dress and twirling in a little circle. Setsuna watched her dance, pale highlights playing along the folds of her dress and her dark, lustrous hair, and felt her breath catch in her throat.

"You're… beautiful, ojō-sama," she whispered. _Stupid! _There was no hiding the pause, or the tremor in her voice. Konoka paused, letting her dress fall. She took a tentative step toward her bodyguard, taking a breath as if to speak.

"I have something to confess," Setsuna burst out hastily, before the other girl could. "I know it's wrong, but I don't want to keep lying to you, oj – Kono-chan." She swallowed hard, then pushed forward. "I love you, Kono-chan. I have since we met. At first I didn't want to admit it, even to myself, but…"

"Se-chan." Setsuna broke off in surprise as Konoka drew closer. The younger girl pulled her friend into her arms, holding her close. "Se-chan, trust me. It's okay. How can love be wrong?" she murmured, rubbing Setsuna's back. Setsuna closed her eyes, feeling the sting of tears despite herself. "Konoka…" she whispered, bringing her arms up to embrace the other girl.

After an eternity, Konoka pulled back a bit, leaving some space between her face and Setsuna's. Acutely aware of the proximity and of her flushed cheeks, Setsuna began to speak. "Kono-chan, I–" Konoka leaned forward, pressing her lips gently against her friend's. Taking advantage of Setsuna's shock, Konoka took her by the hand.

"Let's go, Se-chan," she said. "Negi-sensei probably needs our help." Not trusting her voice, Setsuna nodded and followed Konoka up the stairs.

Konoka paused again in front of the door to classroom 3-A, a crack of light shining from beneath the door. "Se-chan, you should go in first," she said. Setsuna shook her head.

"No, we'll go in together," she replied, squeezing Konoka's hand gently. Konoka turned the doorknob, and together, hand in hand, the girls stepped into the light. As the cheer went up – "Happy birthday, Setsuna-chan!" – Setsuna smiled. For the first time in a very long while, it was.

**A/N: I _may_ write a third chapter to this, but I don't have a solid idea for it just yet. _If_ I decide to, I'll stick a note on my profile.**


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